Why is UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal known as 'Street Jesus'?
Jorge Masvidal has earned the moniker 'Street Jesus' because of his look and his fighting background. The name originated from where most nicknames do - from the internet.
Growing up in Miami, Florida, Jorge Masvidal was often involved in backyard and street fights. That is how he got into MMA, later on taking it to a professional level. While studying at St. Brendan High School, Jorge Masvidal competed in wrestling but was kicked out of the institution because of low grades. Soon afterwards, he started training in karate and mixed martial arts.
Jorge Masvidal - The Street Fighter
In one of the most popular fighting videos online, Jorge Masvidal is seen competing in the backyard of Kimbo Slice. Real name Kevin Ferguson, Kimbo Slice is a pioneer in the world of street and backyard fighting. There are several videos of his scraps that have gone viral on the web, and in one of them, a very young 'Gamebred' fights one of Slice's proteges named Ray.
Even though much bigger in size and mass, the protege of Slice could not match up to the fist power of Masvidal and gave up after a couple of rounds.
Watch the video of the fight below:
Many years later, Jorge Masvidal broke down the fight he had on his YouTube channel, which now has more than 3 million views.
As for the 'Jesus' part of the name, we have social media to thank for that. Jorge Masvidal got a new look ahead of the 2019 fight with Ben Askren, which he won in only five seconds scoring the fastest UFC knockout ever.
The new look with long hair and beard got the internet making memes of him looking like Jesus Christ. When asked about the memes in an interview, Jorge Masvidal said that he definitely did not see himself as 'God', but he surely baptized people with his hands.
"I am not too much online, so I don't see these things until like this moment if somebody shows it to me. I am not Jesus in any way, shape, or form, and I want nobody to hate me because people doing these memes. I am baptizing people with these hands, but I am not God. Nothing like that."
Watch the interview below:
Find out: How much does Jorge Masvidal earn?